061601flight001 640 x 430 We were picked up at about 5:25am, and a couple more passengers were picked up after us. We headed down the Santa Teresa road, stopping once to set off a helium balloon to test the wind. It was very calm, but only about 1 Celsius out - one of the coldest mornings so far this winter. Once we reached the takeoff site, the box was offloaded from the trailer, then set on its side. A tarp and the two blowers were positioned, then the balloon was rolled off the trailer, and the minibus was repositioned to hold a safety tether. Once the balloon was ready, two people were asked to volunteer to hold the balloon's neck open while the blowers ran, until the balloon was sufficiently full of air to stay open on its own. As you can see, it was still quite dark.
	061601flight002 640 x 430 While the blowers were running, I wandered down the length of the balloon (a not inconsiderable length) to see what was happening at the other end. I could see inside the balloon, it looked sort of like a giant bouncy castle. These gentlemen are installing the shroud (that's probably not the proper term) at the very tip top of the balloon.
	061601flight003 322 x 480 Just finishing up with the top of the balloon.
	061601flight004 640 x 430 I wanted to show that the basket was compartmented, and wondered at the time why. By the end of the adventure, the divider's purpose was clear...
	061601flight005 640 x 430 Once the blowers had the balloon sufficiently "inflated", they started loading it with hot air.
	061601flight007 640 x 430 It quickly had enough hot air to begin to lift.

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Page created by Jodi on 16 June 2001